Grating retaining means



May 25, 1965 NAGlN GRATINQ RETAINING MEANS Filed July 31, 1961 INVEN TOR. HAROLD NAGIN.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,185,259 GRATING RETHNG MEANS Harold Nagin, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Reliance Steel Products Company, McKeesport, Pa., a corporation of Pennsyivania Filed Juiy 31, 1961, Ser. No. 128,169 2 Claims. (Cl. 189-84) This invention relates generally to metal gratings and is for a fastening means for securing a grating in place in the structure in which it is to be used.

Metal gratings having parallel bearer bars and more widely spaced parallel cross bars are commonly used industrially and in various constructions for pedestrian and light trafic, including by way of example sidewalk gratings or subway gratings, cat-walks or platforms in machine shops and industrial plants and in boiler rooms and engine rooms both on land and aboard ships. One problem in connection with their use has been the provision of securing means to hold them firmly in place on metal sections on which they are supported and which do not offer any obstruction over which one might trip and which can be conveniently applied from the top of the grating and which will permit removal of the grating when necessary.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a fastening or retaining means of simple construction which will securely and safely hold the grating in place and keep it from rattling and which is easily applied from the upper surface of the grating but presents no projection above the grating, and which can be released if necessary. A further important object of the invention is to provide fastening means which is cheap, positive and which is applied in the field directly on the job and which does not require special skill or special tools.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by my invention which may be more fully understood in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a section of a grating and a supporting section therefor with the fastener securing the grating to the supporting section;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section in the plane of line HII of FIG. 1, but showing the initial position of the fastening elements, the threaded shank of the fastener and the nut, however, being shown in elevation;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section in the plane of line IIIIII of FIG. 1, the fastener and nut again being shown in elevation and the pants are here shown in their final position; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the holding clip is formed.

Referring to the drawings, the grating which is designated generally as 2 is comprised of a plurality of parallel bearer bars 3 with parallel transverse cross bars 4 fitted or press welded into the top edges of the bearer bars 3. The bearer bars are spaced closer to each other than are the cross bars so that the area of the grating is divided into a plurality of elongated rectangular cells 5. This type of grating is well known in the art and forms no part per se of the present invention.

Typically the grating rests on structural sections 6 extending crosswise of the bearer bars. In the drawings I have shown only a small area of the grating and a single one of the supporting sections 6.

According to the present invention the attaching means comprises a U-shaped clip or wedge designated generally as 7 having a base portion 8 and upwardly turned legs 9. The clip is preferably of less depth than the depth of the bearer bars and the legs adjacent the base are only slightly narrower than the space between two paral- 3,1852% Patented May 25, 1965 lel bearer bars. The legs are of slightly upwardly expanding width so that at the top of each leg its width is slightly greater than the width between two bearer bars. The clip or wedge so constructed may be placed between the two bearer bars in one of the rectangular cells 5 and it will drop to a limited extent between the bearer bars to the position shown in FIG. 2. It must then be forced down until the top of the clip is flush with the top edges of the bearer bars. In being forced down in this manner, the bars between which it is placed will be sprung or bent apart to a very slight extent.

The base 8 has a central hole 10 therethrough. There is a generally L-shaped fastener or hook designated generally as 11 having a horizontal arm 12 and a vertical post or stud 13 which passes through the hole 10, the vertical post being threaded. On the upper end of the post or stud 13 above the base is a nut 14 which is tightened down against the base 8 of the clip. The horizontal leg 12 of the fastener extends under the flange of the supporting section 6 to anchor the fastening and grating panel in place.

In using the fastener, the clip and the member 11 may be assembled with the nut 14 only loosely started on the post 13. The U-shaped clip with the L-shaped fastener thus suspended from it is placed in the cell 5 adjacent the supporting section 5. The clip may then be driven down with a hammer until the top edges of the legs are flush with the top of the bearer bars. The horizontal leg 12 of the threaded fastener may then be moved around to a position where it extends under the flange of the supporting section 6. This may be done by reaching through the grating with ones fingers or by the use of a wrench and/ or screw driver or similar tool. The nut 14 is then tightened down until the arm 1?. is tightly clamped against the undersurface of the flange of the supporting member. The tightening may even be carried to a point where the arm 12 will be bent or flexed downwardly very slightly at its outer end thus exerting a resilient pressure against the underside of the flange. As an alternative procedure, the parts may be placed in the position shown in FIG. 2 and the clip be drawn down between the bearer bars by turning the nut 14.

It should be understood that the grating panel usually is several feet long and several feet wide and there are two or more supporting sections 6 so that ordinarily more than one fastener would be used with each panel of grating but in the drawings I have shown only a single fastener. When the fastener has been set in the manner described the grating cannot lift upwardly because the taper on the sides of the legs 9 wedged between the bearer bars prevents any relative upward movement of the grating and the clip '7 cannot move upwardly relative to the grating because it is held down by the engagement of the arm 12 of the fastener under the flange of the supporting section. The clamping pressure exerted by the nut 14 increases the frictional contact between the bottom edges of the bearer bars and the supporting sections so that the grating cannot shift sidewise or endwise, particularly where there are several fasteners used with each panel of grating.

In those rare instances where a cross bar 4 might be so located with reference to a supporting section 6 that the fastener assembly herein described cannot be inserted in the location where it is needed, the transverse cross bar may be sawed off or otherwise cut away between those two bearer bars between which the clip is to be inserted without detriment to the grating.

The fasteners can thus be applied to the grating directly on the job and no special prefabrication of the fastening means on the grating panels is necessary. The fasten- 0 er can be applied and tightened by a workman standing on the grating and it is unnecessary for anyone to be positioned beneath the structure when the grating panel is being clamped down. To release the panel it is only necessary to loosen the nuts 14 enough to allow'the horizontal arm 12 of the fastener hook to be rotated clear of the flange of the supporting section 6.

The clamp 7 is conveniently formed of metal plate. Referring to FIG. 4, a blank A is cut or punched from a piece of metal plate or heavy strip with a mid-section (1 having parallel sides, while the end portions b beyond bending lines 0 converge outwardly towards the ends of the blank. After the blank is so formed, it is bent to the U-shape shown in the other figures, the legs being bent upwardly perpendicular to the base about an axis defined by the bend lines c.

The fastener provides, therefore, a wedge member or clip with a base portion, a clamping arm or hook, and means providing a threaded adjustment between the clamping arm or horizontal arm, this threaded adjustment being provided in the construction shown by the nut 14 on the post 13, and it also permits the clamping arm to turn or swivel relatively to the wedge member. Also, in some cases the grating panel may be supported on structural sections extending lengthwise of the bearer bars instead of crosswise, and the same fastener may be used in this case by simply rotating the arm 12 through an arc of 90 from the position shown in the drawing.

The arrangement specifically described is generally preferred but the threaded stud might be welded to or passed through a hole in the flange of the supporting member at the proper location. In any event, the wedgeshaped clip would be forced down between two bars of the grating into tight wedging engagement therewith and forced down to a level where no part thereof projects above the level of the grating. The invention provides a fastening means which is applied in the field, and eliminates any exact placement of anchoring means at the plant where the grating is made.

While I have shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a grating having parallel bearer bars and cross bars defining rectangular cells and a flanged structural supporting section on which the grating rests, of a clamping means for securing the grating to the supporting section which may be applied from a position above the grating, said clamping means comprising a U-shaped clip having a base and upwardlyextending arms, the base and lower portions of the arms being narrower than the distance between two bearer bars and the length of the clip being shorter than the length of one of said cells, the arms flaring in width upwardly to a width greater than the distance between the bearer bars, the clip being positioned in one of the grating cells and wedged between two bearer bars with the tops of the arms thereof being flush with the tops of the bearer bars, and a clamping member having a threaded post extending upwardly through the base of the clip with a nut thereon tightened against the base, said clamping member having a lateral extension at the lower end of the post below the base projecting under a portion of the structural supporting section and held against said portion by the bearing of the nut against the base of the clip.

2. In the combination with a grating having parallel bearer bars and parallel cross bars defining rectangular cells over the area of the grating, a flanged supporting section on which the grating is set, the invention comprising a fastener assembly securing the grating to the structural section comprising a hook having a laterallyextending arm engaged under the flange of the section and a vertical post positioned at the other end of said arm having an upper terminal portion which is threaded, a wedge element having two spaced legs of upwardlyflaring width in a direction transverse to their length positioned between two parallel bars of the grating and wedged therebetween to restrain the grating against relative movement upwardly with respect to the wedge, the wedge element having a base rigidly connecting the two legs and which is recessed below the upper ends of the legs, the base having an opening therethrough through which the upper terminal portion of the vertical post passes, and a nut accessible through the top of the grating and below the level of the top of the grating on said terminal portion above the base and bearing against the base to hold the laterally-extending arm tight against the underside of the flange, the top of the grating being at least as high as the top of the wedge whereby the wedge does not project into the path of traflic moving over the grating, the wedge being rectangular whereby it is restrained against rotation in the space into which it is wedged.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 620,481 2/99 Moody 50-471 2,748,727 6/56 Plummer et al l8935 X 2,759,574 8/56 Miller 18936 X FOREIGN PATENTS 714,331 8/54 Great Britain.

RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Primary Examiner.

JOEL REZNEK, BENJAMIN BENDETT, Examiners. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A GRATING HAVING PARALLEL BEARER BARS CROSS BARS DEFINED RECTANGULAR CELLS AND A FLANGED STRUCTURAL SUPPORTING SECTION ON WHICH THE GRATING RESTS, OF A CLAMPING MEANS FOR SECURING THE GRATING TO THE SUPPORTING SECTION WHICH MAY BE APPLIED FROM A POSITION ABOVE THE GRATING, SAID CLAMPING MEANS COMPRISING A U-SHAPED CLIP HAVING A BASE AND UPWARDLYEXTENDNG ARMS, THE BASE AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE ARMS BEING NARROW THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO BEARER BARS AND THE LENGTH OF THE CLIP BEING SHORTER THAN THE LENGTH OF ONE OF SAID CELLS, THE ARMS FLARING IN WIDTH UPWARDLY TO A WIDTH GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN 